A Different Kind of Flutter
by hopelesshobbit
Summary: Abigail and Stephanie's relationship begins to change, leading to confusion and denial as the two figure out what the future holds. Set after S3 Ep 2: The Enchantress Unites Pt2
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Abigail released a heavy sigh as she stared at the gaping hole in her wall. Besides the fact that it looked terrible to customers, the hole also allowed for an influx of dust, spiders and unpleasant noise. Stephanie's catering business was even louder than before with part of the wall gone and Abigail wasn't sure how much more she could handle. How could Stephanie be so inconsiderate? Abigail was trying to build her business too and the last thing customers want to hear is the humming of tools and kitchen equipment next store.

Shifting her focus away from the wall and back to her flower arrangement, Abigail noticed Stephanie headed right toward the shop. "Perfect." Abigail smiled to herself, "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Oh good, you're here," Stephanie said as she opened the door and quickly made way to where Abigail stood. "So, I just got done talking with Martha and Ben and the wall should be fixed up later this week! Ben has a friend that's going to help him with the wall and Martha said the city will cover the expenses, so we won't have to pay for it."

Abigail smiled cooly, "Good. I'm glad Martha is already aware that I was not going to be paying the repair costs for a wall she decided to demolish."

"I know! I can't believe she just started sledgehammering away, without so much as a word!" Stephanie set her purse on the table and went to inspect the hole in the wall, "What are we going to do about this room? Is it yours or mine?"

"Hmm," Abigail tilted her head slightly to the right and inspected the room with Stephanie. "That's a good question. Martha did start the demolition in my Flower Shop, so it's probably mine."

Stephanie glared, "Of course you think it's yours, but this is probably a question for Martha, just to know for sure." Carefully stepping into the room, Stephanie wondered what she could even use the room for. Storage? Some type of waiting area? Maybe an office?

Abigail stepped into the room behind Stephanie and assessed her surroundings. It needed to be completely restored or the wall removed so she could expand her shop. The built-in shelves would be great for an office, but she didn't really need this much extra space. More natural light would be a must as well so the room felt a little less dungeony. It wouldn't be a cheap investment to get the room in good working condition, but it might just be the opportunity she was looking for.

"It'll take some time, but this room could really be an asset to my shop." Abigail smiled as she began envisioning what the room could be used for. "If you can stop your excessive noise next store."

"Abigail, I've told you -ouch!" Stephanie squealed, "Ow, ow, ow, owwww," Stephanie frowned and cradled her right hand.

Abigail came swiftly to her side to inspect the damage, "Here let me see." Taking Stephanie's hand in hers, she inspected her slender, soft, fingers. She had somehow sliced three of her fingers and they were beginning to bleed. "Let's get some better light and my first aid kit, then I can get you patched up. I cut myself on thorns all the time."

"Thank you." Stephanie weakly smiled, still clearly uncomfortable from her cut.

With one hand on Stephanie's warm, curved back and the other cradling her cut hand, Abigail lead her out of the dusty room and to a chair. "What did you cut yourself on anyways?" Abigail asked as she snagged her first aid kit from under the cash register.

"A piece of glass, I was trying to pick it up so someone else didn't hurt themselves, but then it slipped right through my fingers." Stephanie groaned and inspected her fingers, "This hurts way more than it should."

Taking Stephanie's hand in hers, Abigail felt the slightest flutter of heat in her belly. She thought she felt it earlier when she rested her hand on Stephanie's back, but she had just assumed Stephanie was warm to the touch. The coolness of Stephanie's hands proved it wasn't just Stephanie's warmth, but something else.

Abigail went silent and focused as she started gently cleaning Stephanie's fingers, attempting to distract herself from the warm sensation building in her belly. Where is this coming from, Stephanie was her friend and one of her favorite people to challenge and compete with, there's absolutely nothing more to it than that.

Confused by her racing thoughts and the sensations fluttering about her body, Abigail worked quickly to wrap each of Stephanie's fingers in an adhesive bandage and gave her back her hand. "There, all set."

"Thank you so much." Stephanie smiled as she hopped up from the chair and brought Abigail into a hug. Energy surged between them as their bodies came together in an embrace. Abigail took in the scent of sweet oranges and vanilla, something Cassie most likely put together. As Abigail and Stephanie pulled away, a soft lock of Stephanie's hair tickled her cheek.

Abigail tucked Stephanie's blonde hair behind her ear and their eyes locked. Stephanie's lips parted slightly under Abigail's gaze causing Abigail to unknowingly moistened her lips and lean closer into Stephanie. Their lips were just inches away, Abigail could feel the warmth of her breath and wanted to kiss Stephanie more than she ever wanted to kiss anyone. Leaning just a little closer - Cassie. Abigail was broken from her trance and immediately released her hold on Stephanie as Cassie walked through the door.

"Hey Stephanie! I thought I'd find you here." Cassie interrupted.

Abigail didn't know whether to be relieved that Cassie broke her from her mesmerized state or angry. Maybe a little bit of both if she was being honest. She almost tasted Stephanie's sweet lips, or maybe they weren't sweet? She's a baker, of course they're sweet.

"Uh, yeah, here I am." Stephanie seemed shaken, either by Cassie's surprise visit, or their almost kiss.

"I was hoping you could help me with some of the baking this weekend for some guests at Grey House. Usually, I'd ask Grace to do it, but she already has plans." Cassie looked hopeful.

"I could make some time. Why don't we head next store and we can talk about what you need." Stephanie straightened her shirt, avoiding eye contact with both Cassie and Abigail and made for the door.

"We can get together later if I was interrupting anything?" Cassie raised an eyebrow at Abigail.

"No, you weren't interrupting anything. Stephanie was just telling me that Martha is using city money to pay for the wall, so neither of us have to." Abigail stated matter of factly, ignoring the tingling sensations she felt earlier.

Stephanie appeared much more like herself, now that she had some distance from Abigail. "Let's go, Cassie." Stephanie led Cassie towards the door. "Bye Abigail." Stephanie stated with a quick glance.

Cassie turned and gave Abigail a smile before slipping out the door, "See you later?"

"Yes. Bye. See you later." Abigail turned and released a heavy sigh as the door closed behind them. She needed something to distract herself, she didn't like the fluttering she felt before and she needed to be sure it didn't happen again.


	2. Chapter 2

Abigail had nearly finished perfecting the order for Martha when she felt Stephanie's presence. The warm sensation in her belly was back, and it took almost all her focus to appear normal. Their encounter last week had created more confusion than she ever thought possible and she was doing her best to avoid Stephanie, which was increasingly difficult in a small town.

"Hi, Abigail." Stephanie smiled, seemingly unaffected by last week's encounter. "I need a few arrangements of all Cassie's favorite flowers. Sam is planning a surprise romantic date for Cassie at the bistro." Excitement flooded her tone.

"When do you need them by?" Abigail asked without looking up from her arrangement.

"By Thursday night. Do you think you'll have time?"

"I can make time. Is there anything else?" Abigail needed some space from Stephanie, she needed her out of her shop, and far away at the bistro.

"Are you okay?" Stephanie pressed, "You seem a little more tense than usual." She stepped forward and rested her hand on Abigail's shoulder.

"I'm great." Abigail was acutely aware of her soft hand and finally looked her in the eye "I'll have the flowers ready by Thursday."

Stephanie narrowed her brows, "Are you sure you're okay? I'm here if you need to talk about something." Stephanie gave her a weak smile and squeezed her arm.

"I'm just fine, but thank you for asking." Abigail could feel her wall melting ever so slightly. Why did Stephanie have to be so caring and cute with her waves of blonde hair and ocean eyes?

Stephanie felt a bit defeated and blown off, but it wasn't the first time Abigail put walls around herself and it probably wouldn't be the last. "Well, thank you for doing this. I'll see you around?"

Abigail nodded and returned her attention to the flower arrangements. Stephanie took the not so subtle hint and quickly left the shop.

...

"Have you talked to Abigail lately?" Stephanie pressed Cassie after handing her the takeout order.

"Here and there, but she's been pretty absent." Cassie answered, "Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure, I can't tell if something is wrong or if Abigail is just being her typical self."

"Hmm, I never quite know what Abigail is up to, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Cassie took a sip of her tea and grabbed her lunch, "I've got to get back to the shop, talk soon?

Stephanie released a long sigh, "Let me know if you find anything about Abigail, please."

Cassie gave Stephanie a supportive smile and left the bistro.

For the rest of the day, Stephanie busied herself with the bistro. Abigail was heavy on her mind, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was really off with Abigail. Or maybe Abigail just wanted that room and this was another competition she would have to endure.

"You ready for our date?" Ben asked excitedly, startling Stephanie from her thoughts as she quickly divvied out the tips.

She had completely forgotten about her date with Ben. She was too busy trying to figure out Abigail, which was proving impossible, "Can you pick me up at my place in thirty minutes?"

"So, you're not ready." Ben dropped his head and dug his hands in his jean jacket. "I'll see you at eight-thirty." He was hopeful for a kiss, but Stephanie had already returned her attention to the tips. He waited for a moment more, before turning away and leaving the bistro. Hopefully, after she locked up the bistro she'd be able to relax with him.

Stephanie drove home quickly, excited for a distraction from her thoughts of Abigail. She didn't have much time to get ready for her date with Ben, but she managed to change into fresh clothes, refresh her deodorant, and brush her teeth before he knocked at the door.

When she opened the door Ben smiled, looking handsome in his jean jacket, white v-neck t-shirt, faded jeans, and tan work boots. "You ready?" He asked.

Stephanie ducked back inside, grabbed her purse, and clicked the door behind her, "Let's go."

The drive to Blairsville was filled with the quiet background of country music, and Stephanie's continued thoughts of Abigail's abrupt behavior. "I just don't understand if she's upset because of that spare room, or if I'm totally insane and reading into everything."

Ben had already tried to offer advice and support, but it hardly seemed like Stephanie was listening at all, "I really think you just need to talk to her."

"I've tried talking to her, she just blows me off!" Stephanie could feel herself getting heated and took in a breath, she really needed to figure out this Abigail situation. She thought they were friends, weird, competitive friends, but still friends.

"We're here." Ben's attention perked up, relieved to have something to do besides talk about Abigail. "You ready for some mini-golf?"

Stephanie looked over at Ben's excited eyes, and handsome face, but could only muster up a weak smile. "Yeah, let's do it."

Minigolf was supposed to be a fun distraction for Stephanie from work at the bistro and her catering business, but it wasn't the minigolf that kept those thoughts away it was Abigail. Her seriousness and sarcasm, the red hair and the alluring twinkle in her eyes.

"That was fun." Ben forced a smile towards Stephanie who still seemed just as distracted as she was in the bistro, "Is everything alright?" Ben hurried in front of her and opened the truck door for her.

Stephanie returned a forced smile, "I'm just frustrated and confused with Abigail, that's all. I'm sorry I haven't been the best company."

Ben tilted up her chin with his large calloused hand and slowly came down for a soft kiss, but just before their lips could touch Stephanie turned away and he kissed her cheek instead. Ben's hand fell away, Stephanie quickly climbed into the truck, and Ben shut her door feeling defeated.

They drove home with only the sound of the radio. Stephanie pondered her friendship with Abigail, questioning if they were even friends at all. Ben's mind was filled with thoughts of Stephanie and their future, wondering if they were the right fit for one another. He loved her, but he was beginning to wonder if she loved him.

When Ben pulled into Stephanie's driveway she was quick to end their date, "Thank you for taking me out, I had fun." She planted a quick kiss on his lips and slipped out of the truck and towards her front door.

Ben waited until she made it inside before pulling out of her driveway feeling more defeated than ever. He should have known from the start that he was just too boring and old fashioned for Stephanie. Maybe it was just a bad night, maybe the next date would be better, or maybe...he wasn't going to go there yet.

...

Stephanie waited anxiously for Abigail to drop off the flowers for Sam and Cassie's date. That would finally give her a chance to confront Abigail and find out why she seemed to be so distant.

Abigail arrived right on time, and quickly began unloading the flowers from the back of her car, "I have to be quick, I have somewhere to be." Abigail handed two arrangements to Stephanie. "Here. I'll grab the last three."

Stephanie watched Abigail as she reached into the back of her car, the muscles in her calves flexed above her black heels. The dark matching skirt clung to her thighs, riding up slightly as she reached for the last arrangement. Stephanie almost forgot what she needed to talk to Abigail about.

When Abigail turned around and shut the car door with her hip, Stephanie regained her focus, "Abigail, we need to talk. I know you don't want to and I know you won't admit that it's about that room that Martha discovered, but we're friends, or at least I thought we were, and -"

Abigail interrupted her, "Stephanie, it's not about the room. I'm just really busy, as usual, and I need to get back to Grey House." Abigail walked past Stephanie and further into the bistro where she found an empty table to set down the arrangements.

Stephanie quickly followed and placed her arrangements on a nearby table, "Stop blowing me off! I thought you were my friend." Stephanie was steaming now, frustrated, hurt, and more confused by Abigail than ever. She was more distant than usual, even for Abigail and her walls made it nearly impossible to connect.

Abigail could see the hurt in Stephanie's eyes and her heart sank, knowing she caused it. Stephanie was basically her only friend in Middleton and she didn't want to screw it up. But right now, the feelings Stephanie stirred within her, had her running far far away until she could get her feelings under wraps. If she wasn't careful, she might lose her friend for good. "I'm sorry, Stephanie, we are friends." Abigail took a step towards Stephanie and let her thoughts swim in her ocean eyes, but only for a moment before responding, "I really am just busy, we'll get lunch as soon as the flower shop slows down."

Stephanie didn't look convinced, only hurt, "We better."

The drop in Stephanie's voice proved just how down she was feeling and Abigail couldn't stand to be the cause of her hurt any longer. She closed the distance between them and brought Stephanie into a tight hug.

At first, Stephanie tensed, trying not to give in to the comfort of Abigail's arms, but after a few moments, she relaxed.

Stephanie buried her face in Abigail's soft black sweater and their arms tightened around each other. Warmth flowed through Abigail, waking the butterflies in her stomach. Abigail took in Stephanie's sweet scent of oranges and vanilla and released her.

The sound of clattering dishes from the kitchen kept her from getting lost in Stephanie's gleaming eyes. "We'll get together soon." Abigail flashed a genuine smile and disappeared from the bistro.

Stephanie took a deep breath and anxiously nibbled on her lip, "We'll get together soon." She said out loud to herself. Rolling her eyes in frustration she busied herself preparing for Cassie and Sam's date, trying to push her thoughts of Abigail, far far away.


	3. Chapter 3

I've really enjoyed writing this so far and I'm excited to see where the story goes. Thank you for the encouragement, I'm relatively new to FanFic and I'm loving it!

...

"Morning Abigail." Cassie chimed cheerily as she prepped two mugs with loose leaf tea.

"Morning," Abigail forced a smile and went to the fridge for orange juice.

Cassie eyed Abigail suspiciously, "I haven't seen much of you the last few days, what have you been up to?"

"Just busy with the flower shop. Everyone always needs flowers for something." Abigail quickly downed half the juice in her glass, "But all the work at the shop has really drained me so I'm probably going to stay home today." Abigail cleared her throat, "I may even be coming down with something".

The tea kettle whistled, "Would you like some tea, that may help you settle whatever seems to be bothering you." Cassie removed the kettle from the stove and filled two mugs for herself and Abigail.

"Thanks." Abigail finished her orange juice, put her glass in the sink, and took her mug from Cassie. "I'll take one of those muffins too, they smell great."

"They should be done any minute and you can help yourself." Cassie inhaled the aroma of her hot tea just as the timer for the muffins rang throughout the kitchen. Cassie went to the oven and removed the muffins. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the room.

Abigail took in the perfect scent and quickly transferred a hot muffin to a plate and disappeared upstairs.

...

Cassie had just put the final touches on her window display when Stephanie pushed through the door, "Cassie, have you seen Abigail? I need to talk to her about the delivery she never dropped off. I went to her shop, but she isn't there."

"Abigail stayed home today, she isn't feeling like herself," Cassie replied with concern in her voice.

"Oh, well now I feel terrible for being so frustrated with her." Stephanie released an exasperated sigh, "Maybe I'll bring her some of my chicken noodle soup this afternoon, and if she's feeling up to it, we can finally talk about what we're going to do about that mystery room between our shops."

"I think that's a great idea. " Cassie smiled, "I think you might be exactly what Abigail needs today."

Stephanie's face twisted, "I don't know about that, Abigail and I haven't exactly been on the same page lately. She's either avoiding me, blowing me off, or she wants nothing to do with me. She's being totally immature about that room that Martha found for the book release."

"Are you sure she's upset about the room?" Cassie questioned.

"Well, what else could it be? I'm sure she was also upset about the noise coming from the catering business, but she knows there wasn't anything I could do about that. Maybe, the problem is just me." Stephanie's face fell.

"Sometimes the answer to life's difficult questions is just below the surface, you just have to unearth it." Cassie gave Stephanie a warm smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Stephanie felt more confused than before. Cassie was supposed to have answers, not more questions.

Cassie thought for a moment, "I think I might have just what you need." Moving gracefully towards the back of her shop, Cassie found her jewelry display and picked up a blue beaded bracelet and held it out to Stephanie.

"A bracelet?" Stephanie questioned, "For me, or for Abigail? And how exactly is a bracelet supposed to help this situation?"

Cassie smiled knowingly, "The bracelet is made of apatite, it will help you clear your mind of confusion and help you more clearly see what may be right in front of you."

Stephanie wasn't so sure how a bracelet could solve her problem with Abigail, but she did come to Cassie and Cassie hardly ever offered conventional suggestions. "I guess I'll give it a try."

Cassie gently clasped the bracelet on Stephanie's wrist, "I think you'll find exactly what you're looking for."

Stephanie gave the blue-green beads a look over on her wrist. The rounded beads varied slightly in color, and she felt determined to get through to Abigail. Their friendship, however odd it may be, was important and it needed to be fixed. "I'm going to go get that soup and find Abigail."

"Good luck." Cassie smiled as Stephanie left the shop. Sometimes fate needed a gentle nudge and hopefully, this would be enough.

...

Stephanie knocked gently on the Grey House doors and waited patiently for a response. When she didn't get one, she slowly opened the doors and went inside. The house was quiet and Stephanie didn't want to disturb any guests that might be staying there so she went towards the kitchen to put the soup away before searching for Abigail.

Stephanie wasn't sure which room was Abigail's so she couldn't go upstairs. She wasn't even sure Abigail was at Grey House, she had just assumed. Determined to find Abigail and hopeful she wasn't hiding away in her room, Stephanie walked out to the patio. She glanced around the chairs, the trees, and the path towards the Middleton Gardens. In the distance, below a cherry blossom just on the outskirts of the Middleton Garden, was the unmistakable red glimmering hair of Abigail.

Smiling, Stephanie carefully walked down the sloping hill towards Abigail.

Abigail felt her presence just as she'd stepped out onto the patio, but she couldn't hide from her now. She had forgotten about her flower order, but would she really come to Grey House for that, they could settle up later?

Taking in a deep breath, Abigail released her breath and spoke confidently, "Hi, Stephanie, what brings you to Grey House."

Stephanie closed the distance between them and sat next to Abigail in the grass, "Well, you forgot my flower order, so I went to Cassie to ask about you and she said you weren't feeling well and stayed home." Stephanie paused for a moment and looked Abigail over, "I brought you chicken noodle soup, but you don't really look all that sick."

I'm lovesick, Abigail thought to herself. "I just wasn't feeling like myself and decided it was better I stayed home." Abigail got to her feet. "I think I'm actually starting to get a headache, so I think I might go inside and take a nap."

Stephanie grabbed for Abigail's wrist and caught her as she turned to leave, "Wait, Abigail, sit and talk to me. You can't avoid me any longer."

Abigail debated pulling away for a moment, but decided to sit again, she couldn't run away forever.

"If this is about the extra room, you can have it. I just want to be friends again, I think you're avoiding me and I hate it. I also think it's immature, for you to be so upset about a room, I mean we're both adults." Stephanie explained quickly.

Abigail listened to her words, studying her blue eyes, pointed nose, and her delicate lips. "It isn't about the room," Abigail admitted nibbling on her lip.

"Then what is it about?" Stephanie asked, feeling even more confused.

Their eyes were locked, focused on one another, Abigail didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to start. Stephanie was with Ben, they were friends. "Stephanie, I just have some personal things I need to work out." Abigail looked away from Stephanie and stared out towards the garden.

Stephanie moved closer to Abigail, careful to avoid grass stains, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Abigail, you can talk to me, about whatever it is that's bothering you."

Turning towards Stephanie, Abigail leaned forward till her breath tickled across Stephanie's lips, "That's just it, I can't."

After studying the chestnut eyes in front of her, Stephanie closed the distance between them and felt warmth explode around her as their lips locked. Stephanie's cheeks ripened in color, their arms found each other and they tightened their embrace.

Stephanie leaned into the kiss, feeling as though she was in a dream, and she never wanted it to end. The taste of Abigail awoke her senses, and she found herself asking for further invitation with her tongue.

Abigail knew they should stop. She knew she should pull away, Stephanie was still with Ben, she shouldn't be doing this. But then again, everything felt so right. She gripped Stephanie's white t-shirt and pulled her closer, her tongue flicked with Stephanie's as they deepened their kiss, the electricity was hot between them, and it took all of Abigail's self-control to finally pull away.

They were both breathless, Stephanie's delicate mouth hung open slightly, Abigail bit her lip, wanting to capture Stephanie's lips again, but thought better of it. Scooting away slightly, trying to put some distance between them, Abigail finally spoke, "It's hard to be around you when I want to kiss you."

Stephanie's cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, she couldn't find words. The kiss had awoken senses in her she didn't know she had. Never had a kiss with Ben felt like that. _Ben. _How could she do this to him? Why did she kiss Abigail? This was bad, but it felt so good. Guilt consumed her, and the fluttering warmth throughout her body was quickly dissipating.

After a long silence between them, Abigail finally spoke, "We should probably take some space. Clear our heads."

Abigail quickly got to her feet. She wanted to say more, but she didn't know where to start. Stephanie was with Ben. Stephanie was her friend. And she just kissed her. Or did Stephanie kiss her? It didn't matter. Everything was ruined. Abigail walked quickly towards Grey House leaving Stephanie sitting alone, staring out at the Middleton Gardens with more questions in her heart than ever before.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you, thank you for the reviews and encouragement. I'm going to attempt to write a section a month until this story is finished.

"Hey Stephanie, what are you doing out here?" Grace asked startling Stephanie from her trance.

Stephanie attempted to fake a smile towards Grace, but it was a poor attempt, "I'm just doing some thinking."

Grace looked out towards the Middleton Gardens and took in the earthy smell of flowers and dirt that hinted in the air, "The Middleton Gardens are a great place to do some thinking." Grace paused, "Do you want to talk about, whatever you're thinking about?"

Stephanie wanted to confide in Grace, she _needed_ to confide in someone. But she couldn't, no one could know what happened. At least not until she broke up with Ben. Wait, was she planning on breaking up with Ben?

"Stephanie?" Grace broke her from her thoughts, "What's on your mind?"

Stephanie fiddled with her hands and quickly spoke without looking up at Grace, "Have you ever done something that you shouldn't have, but that something felt right, even if it was wrong?"

Grace positioned herself next to Stephanie in the grass and pulled her knees to her chest, "Why was it wrong?"

"My actions most definitely hurt someone, or they will hurt someone anyway." Stephanie released a frustrated sigh. "I just don't know what to do, Grace."

Grace thought for a moment, "Are you sure you don't know what to do? Or are you just afraid of what you want?"

Stephanie looked up at Grace and nibbled her lip, "I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Right now, it looks like you're the one hurting." Grace paused, "Do you want to go to Grey House for some tea? That always helps me feel better."

Stephanie shook her head, and got to her feet, "Uh, no thanks. I should probably get going. Thanks for listening, Grace."

"Okay, I'll see you later," Grace called after Stephanie who quickly got to her feet and made her way further into the Middleton Gardens.

The ceiling rumbled above, "What is all that noise?" George asked, as he came into the kitchen.

"I think Abigail has decided to rearrange her room," Cassie told him as she grabbed a few more ingredients from the cabinet.

"Oh," George furrowed his brows, "I should probably go help her then, she has to be scratching the floor with all that furniture she's pushing around."

"I have a feeling, Abigail may need to be alone right now. I'm sure the floor will be okay." Cassie gave him a supportive smile and continued measuring the flour.

"If you say so," George shook his head and disappeared around the corner.

Cassie finished measuring out her ingredients and was beginning to whisk them together when Grace came in from the patio, "Hi, Mom."

"Hello, Grace," Cassie greeted happily, "How was your day?"

"My day was great," She paused, "Except it doesn't seem like Stephanie is having the best day. I saw her down near the gardens and she seemed really sad and confused."

The ceiling rumbled again, causing both Cassie and Grace to look up,  
"Abigail doesn't seem to be having the best day either." Cassie finished whisking the mixture and put it in the fridge.

"Do you think the same thing has them both upset?" Grace questioned.

"Abigail and Stephanie have a very complicated relationship. With a little time and support, I'm sure they'll be back to their usual selves before we know it." Cassie began pulling vegetables out of the refrigerator.

Grace pondered Cassie's words for a moment and before she could respond Cassie's phone rang, "Hello, Sam." Cassie smiled into the phone.

"Martha's been in an accident," He responded without a greeting, "I'm on my way to the hospital now to see if there's anything I can do to help." Cassie's face fell.

"I'll be right there, has Mr. Tinsdale been notified?" Cassie asked with concern.

"Mr. Tinsdale was with her when it happened, he called me and asked if I could come down to the hospital." Sam stated quickly, "I'm nearly there, talk soon."

"Okay, bye Sam," Cassie said quietly into the phone.

Grace watched her mother with a worried expression and waited impatiently for her to get off the phone. "What happened?"

"Martha has been in some kind of accident, Sam is on his way to the hospital now." Cassie started putting ingredients back into the fridge, "I'm going to head to the hospital now to see if there's anything Mr. Tinsdale may need. Can you tell Abigail where I'm headed and ask George to be available for any guests this evening?"

Grace nodded, and went upstairs to find Abigail pushing her dresser to the opposite end of the room it previously sat. Her red hair was disheveled and her expression tense. She didn't even acknowledge Grace's presence.

"Hey, Abigail," Grace started hesitantly.

Abigail stopped maneuvering her dresser and looked up at Grace, "Hi Grace."

"Mom wanted me to let you know that Martha's been in an accident and she's headed to the hospital to offer support."

"Oh," Abigail's face shifted to concern, "What happened, is she okay?"

"I'm not really sure, Sam just called on his way to the hospital." Grace came further into the bedroom and sat on Abigail's bed that had been moved to the center of the room. "Are you okay?"

"Never been better." Abigail lied and flashed a smile at Grace.

Grace rolled her eyes, "I know something is up. You can either tell me or I'll figure it out on my own."

Abigail paused for a long moment and debated telling Grace what happened, but Grace couldn't know, Cassie couldn't know, no one could know. She needed to forget about Stephanie and her soft lips and that sweet smell of vanilla and oranges. "There's nothing to figure out Grace, it was just time for a change."

Grace wasn't convinced, "I'll figure it out sooner or later."

When Cassie arrived at the emergency room, Todd Tinsdale was pacing back and forth between two lines of chairs. "Hello, Mr. Tinsdale." Cassie greeted as she closed the distance between them.

"Oh, hello Cassie." He roughly ran his fingers through his hair, "I should have never taken her golfing today, this is all my fault."

Cassie's eyebrows narrowed, "What happened? I have a very hard time believing you had anything to do with Martha's injury."

Mr. Tinsdale found himself a chair and braced his elbows on his knees, cradling his head in his hands, "I took her golfing, just the two of us so we could spend some quality time together. Later we ran into some younger friends of ours and Martha thought she was being challenged to a golf cart race. Before I could talk her out of it, her and the golf cart were in the pond, and Martha was screaming." He shook his head, "She nearly drowned before she realized she could touch the bottom, even so, she couldn't put any weight on her foot, they think she broke it."

Cassie hid her smile, typical Martha, never backing down from a challenge, no matter how odd, "Does she seem okay?"

Mr. Tinsdale nodded, "She seems hurt that she lost the race, embarrassed, and her foot looked terrible, it was already turning blue and bruised before we made it to the hospital."

"Mr. Tinsdale?" A short woman with her hair pulled up into a messy bun called out across the waiting room.

"Right here." He responded and made his way towards the woman, "Thank you for being here, Cassie."

Cassie smiled, "I'll be here as long as you need."

Mr. Tinsdale followed the nurse around the corner towards Martha's room. Once he was out of sight Cassie called Stephanie, she answered on the third ring, "Hello, Stephanie. Have you heard about Martha?

"Yes, is she alright?" Stephanie asked quickly with concern.

"I think she's going to be alright, Mr. Tinsdale is with her now, and hopefully we'll get a more concrete update soon."

"Oh thank goodness! Keep us all informed Cassie, and let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Actually," Cassie paused briefly and smiled when she saw Sam coming around the corner, "I was hoping you could prepare a few meals for the Tinsdale's and bring them over sometime tonight?"

"Of course, I can definitely do that." Stephanie responded happily.

"Thanks, Stephanie." Cassie ended her call and smiled up at Sam who had been watching her closely. "Hi, Sam."

He gracefully fell into the chair next to her and kissed her cheek, "Hello, Cassie."

"How's the patient?"

"She's doing well and should make a full recovery." He paused and studied Cassie's face, her hair was straightened to her shoulders, she wore a touch of makeup, and her lips were tinted a shade darker than usual. "She'll be ready to go home later this evening and then sometime next week, she'll be back for surgery. It's going to be a long few weeks for Martha," He paused, "And anyone taking care of Martha."

"Well, Martha has taken care of this community for a long time, I think we all can give her some extra support over the next few weeks." Cassie reached over and settled her hand on Sam's. "I'm going to see if Todd or Martha need anything before I go, I need to put together a few things from Grey House before they get home."

Sam squeezed Cassie's hand, "Okay, will I still see you later?"

Cassie nodded, released Sam's hand, and started in the direction that Sam and the nurse had just come from. She didn't need a room number to find Martha, her voice carried throughout the hospital and as Cassie walked further down the hall, Martha was easy to find.

"Oh! Cassie!" Martha called as soon as Cassie was in sight.

"Hello Martha," Cassie smiled as she entered the room, "How are you feeling?"

"Besides the excruciating pain in my foot and the embarrassment from losing the race, I'm doing fine." Martha explained sadly.

"I'm sure you'll be back on your feet and feeling good as new in no time." Cassie responded. "There are some things I need to take care of at Grey House, but I wanted to check in and see if either of you needed anything before I go?"

"Thank you for being here, Cassie." Mr. Tinsdale smiled and looked over his wife propped up in the hospital bed with her messy hair, wrinkled shirt, and cast covered foot. "I think we can handle things from here. Sam said we'll be able to go home later today."

"Well, you are in very good hands. I'll see you both soon." With a smile and a nod Cassie left the hospital room and started home.


	5. Chapter 5

Cassie gracefully moved about Grey House, filling a small basket with a variety of things for Martha. She added two different kinds of tea, a few books, an oil tincture for pain, and another one to help her sleep. Just as she finished Abigail appeared with a muffin in hand.

"What's all that for?" Abigail asked before taking a bite of her muffin.

"I'm just putting a few things together for Martha. She should be going home soon and I wanted to give her a few things to make the transition a bit more comfortable."

"How is she?" Abigail glanced into the basket and assessed what Cassie had collected. "You're not going to bring her any food or snacks?"

"She'll be good as new with some rest." Cassie paused for a moment, "Would you mind bringing this over to the Tinsdale's? I have a delivery coming into the shop tonight and I need to be there to sign for it."

"I guess I don't have anything better to do tonight." Abigail released a heavy sigh.

Cassie disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a container full of sliced strawberries and a small bottle of balsamic vinegar.

Abigail made a face, "Those don't really go together."

"Sometimes things that don't seem to match, end up going together perfectly," Cassie gave her a knowing smile. "Thank you for taking this over to Martha, I've gotta get to the Bell Book."

Abigail's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she watched Cassie leave. Then, she glanced back in the basket and studied the strawberries and balsamic vinegar for a moment before Grace interrupted, "Mmm, strawberries and balsamic."

"Gross." Abigail responded in disgust.

"Have you ever tried it? They're actually delicious together." Grace glanced over the other items in the basket, "Is all this for Martha?"

"Yup. Your mom asked me to drop it off for her. Did you want to come with?"

Grace shook her head, "I can't. I'm meeting Nick at the bistro because he actually wants to study." Grace quickly walked to the kitchen, grabbed a muffin, and appeared again, "I'll see you later?"

Abigail nodded, "Have fun."

Grace left quickly, leaving Abigail alone with her thoughts and Martha's basket. Taking in a deep breath Abigail pushed away the repeating thoughts of Stephanie's soft lips on hers and collected her purse and the basket before leaving Grey House.

The drive to Martha's went by quickly and silently. Abigail ruminated over the moment near the gardens and tried to come up with some sort of solution. All she could think of was to avoid Stephanie at all costs and eventually these feelings would go away and things could go back to the way they were.

As she pulled up to Martha's house, she could see Stephanie sitting on the front steps with a small stack of casserole dishes. "I should have known," Abigail said out loud to herself before getting out of the car.

Shoving down the building butterfly sensation in her belly, Abigail walked up the steps to meet Stephanie, "Still not back from the hospital?" Abigail asked dryly.

Stephanie nibbled nervously on her bottom lip, "Nope. I thought for sure they'd be home by now." She paused, looking for something to talk about, "What's all that?"

"Something Cassie put together," Abigail stated matter of factly before sitting on the steps, as far away from Stephanie as possible.

"Ah," Stephanie tilted her head towards Abigail and studied her face for a moment. Her red hair fell to her shoulders, her bangs were clipped back, and the lipstick she wore, accented her soft, small, lips. "I should have known that Cassie was up to something." Stephanie fiddled with the bracelet that Cassie had given her.

Abigail stared at the ground in front of her. She could feel Stephanie's gaze, studying her, but she couldn't make eye contact. The tension between them pricked at her skin, "If you're already going to wait here, maybe I can leave this basket with you and you could pass it along to Martha?" Abigail got to her feet.

Stephanie furrowed her brows, "Or, we could talk."

"About what?" Abigail responded casually.

"You know what." Stephanie's frustration was evident in her voice.

Abigail debated whether to sit or disappear as quickly as possible. After a few silent moments, she sat. "Stephanie, l don't know what's going on. I think it's best -"

"I like you." Stephanie blurted out before nibbling aggressively on her lip again.

Abigail just stared. She studied Stephanie's nervous lip nibbling, her fidgeting hands, and her blond hair contained with a clip. "Middleton is a small town, we'd have some problems if you didn't like me."

"That's not what I meant." Stephanie stopped fidgeting with her hands and looked into Abigail's warm eyes. Their gaze locked for a long moment before they heard the crunching of approaching tires.

"Looks like Martha's home." Abigail rose to her feet and stood by the front door, while Mr. Tinsdale worked to get crutches out of the back of the car.

"Should we help them?" Stephanie asked, getting to her feet.

Martha's voice echoed through the neighborhood as she instructed Mr. Tinsdale on what to bring inside and how to get the crutches out of the car. It wasn't until she was on her feet with a crutch under each arm that she noticed Stephanie and Abigail on the front porch. She tried to wave, but nearly fell over as one of the crutches fell out from under her arm, Mr. Tinsdale caught her and steadied her before returning the crutch to its place.

"This isn't the welcoming committee that I expected," Martha started, "But I'm happy to see you none the less!"

Todd helped Martha up the steps and worked quickly to unlock the front door. Martha and Todd scrambled in first with Stephanie and Abigail following behind.

Martha found her way to the couch and gently fell into it, "Please, come sit!" Martha instructed.

Abigail set the basket on the coffee table in front of Martha, Stephanie handed the casserole dishes to Mr. Tinsdale who took them into the kitchen, then they both sat on the couch with Martha, close, but not touching.

"Cassie put together a few things for you," Abigail stated matter of factly.

"Oh! Strawberries and balsamic, how did she know that's one of my favorite snacks?" Martha immediately opened the container and drizzled balsamic over the top, "Todd!" She called out, "Will you bring me a fork, please!"

"Really?" Abigail questioned, looking slightly disgusted.

"I know it doesn't seem like they should go together, but it's actually quite good," Martha responded as she took the fork from Todd and took a bite.

Martha's words rang through Abigail's thoughts. How many times had she heard that today? Cassie, Grace, and now Martha...Maybe some things that don't seem like they go together, do go together. It can't be that simple.

"How are you feeling, Martha?" Stephanie asked, interrupting Abigail from her thoughts.

"About as well as I can be." Martha's voice dropped, sounding less excitable than usual.

"Well, I made you a few dinner dishes. That should get you through the next couple of days, but let me know if you want more to help get you through your recovery period. Or send Mr. Tinsdale into the bistro and I'll make up whatever you want." Stephanie smiled.

"Thank you, Stephanie, I'm sure we could use all the help we can get. Walking without the use of one leg is exhausting." Martha set down her strawberries and looked over the rest of the things in the basket. "She really thought of everything, didn't she?" She asked, looking at Abigail.

"She always does," Abigail got to her feet, "I should actually get going, I'm supposed to pick up Grace from the Bistro." Abigail lied.

"I need to get going as well," Stephanie interjected, "I have a new closer at the Bistro tonight."

"Oh!" Martha sounded disappointed, "Well, thank you for stopping by. Don't hesitate to visit, who knows when I'll be able to galavant around town on my own again."

Abigail flashed a smile before heading towards the front door. Stephanie was close on her heels. Once they were both outside and the door shut, Stephanie asked, "Do you actually need to pick up Grace?"

"I need to do a lot of things," Abigail responded cooly.

"Yeah, like talk to me?" Stephanie pressed.

Abigail ignored her and walked back to her car. Stephanie watched her for a moment and then decided to follow. "When are we going to talk about this?" Stephanie asked as Abigail opened her car door.

"Stephanie, just let it go." Abigail was serious now.

Stephanie didn't want to let it go, she couldn't, let it go, "Why can't we talk about what happened?"

"Stephanie, you're with Ben. We are friends and we live in a very small town. We can't just jump in with two feet and hope our feelings are real." Abigail climbed into her car and shut the door.

Stephanie opened the passenger door and stuck her head in. "Our feelings?" Stephanie climbed the rest of the way in and shut the door. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

"Yes, Stephanie I like you, a lot. But that doesn't matter. We would be terrible together."

Stephanie's lips curved into a smile, "Like strawberries and balsamic vinegar?"

Abigail looked over at Stephanie who was smiling now, with twinkling, hopeful eyes, "Have you ever tried strawberries and balsamic vinegar?"

"No," Stephanie responded, still smiling, "But I think I want to give it a shot, who knows it might be really good together."


End file.
